The new owners of a Gulf Breeze ice skating rink hope to open the facility to the public later this year, possibly as soon as Nov. 1.

The group behind the project closed on the deal last week. The new owners, some of whom have ties to the Pensacola Ice Flyers, said they plan to renovate the existing building on Westfield Road and expand it to add a second sheet of ice.

"We really want to be an ice training facility for minor hockey, youth hockey, figure skating and adult hockey," said one of the new owners, Rich Parent, a former Ice Flyers assistant coach who was also a goalie with three NHL teams. "And the most important thing in the area is having it in all four seasons."

The ice rink will be 120 feet long by 60 feet wide, and the facility will also include dressing rooms, a pro shop and a mezzanine with a snack bar overlooking the ice, Parent said. There will also be space for a conference room and birthday parties.

The only public ice rink that is open to area residents is at the Pensacola Bay Center, and the facility does not maintain ice outside of the Ice Flyers' season from October to March.

Parent — who is part of the new ownership group, along with former Ice Flyers goalie John McLean and Aaron and Misty Montgomery, Gulf Breeze parents with children who play hockey — said the new owners are "aggressively aiming" for a Nov. 1 opening date.

He added multiple factors outside of the group's control have to happen for the Nov. 1 date to be realistic, such as permitting and allowing construction to start by Aug. 1.

"It's an aggressive target and things have to fall into place," said Parent, adding the group is assembling contractors for engineering, construction and architecture.

The nearly 1-acre property was previously owned by Gulf Breeze residents Gordon and Bette Sprague, who built a single indoor tennis court in the 8,000-square-foot building about 15 years ago.

The new owners closed the deal to buy the facility Friday, and the sales price has not yet been recorded with Santa Rosa County.

Gordon Sprague said the new ice skating rink will serve as a training and teaching facility for youth, and "I'm honored it's going to do that."

"First, it's going to be phenomenally successful," he said. "Because I know what youth hockey means to America and what youth hockey means to Pensacola. We are honored that they are continuing it as a recreation facility for youth in the future."

The new rink doesn't aim to replace the much larger one at the Bay Center, which has an NHL-standard size rink that is 200 feet long by 85 feet wide.

Parent said in Canada — he's from Montreal — and in northern sections of the U.S., smaller rinks like the one his group is planning are often used for men's and adult leagues. The size allows for 3-on-3 games where all the players have a chance to be more involved in the action.

Ultimately, he said, one of the driving forces behind the ice rink is to increase the popularity of hockey in the area.

"Our mission and objective is to develop the skill level, to be a training facility for an adult or young kids, 6- to 8-years-old, to get proper training," Parent said. "We want to be that bridge to grow the game of hockey in Northwest Florida. That is one of our objectives."